Storyland Idol.

Sidney's Drama Kids class had their final production this week.  As for the kids acting, this was the best year yet.  For a few of them, this was their third year in drama class.  They seemed much more comfortable on stage and needed very little help with cues.  The play was called Storyland Idol.  It was a spoof of American Idol.  Sidney played Goldilocks, a total deva and criminal.

She did a fantastic job with her valley girl speak.

At the end of the production the kids had a dance party!

She has grown so much through this program.  She is so much more confident and comfortable!

A Beautiful Start to Summer!

It is the start of a beautiful summer.  The first weekend in June was absolutely gorgeous.  We got a few treats over the weekend, as some of the planes were practicing for the Mountain Home Airshow.

Here is a funny (not-so-funny-at-the-time) story.  Kendall came home from her Memorial Day camping trip with a middle school attitude.  It was exhausting.  I am a big believer in natural consequences.  So, Tuesday morning after three warning that the bus (that is me) was leaving to go to Grandma's house, I left her behind.  To put it into context Grandma Terrell live exactly three miles from our house.  She also lives about a couple blocks from the school.  I was about halfway to Grandma's house with Sid in the car, when I got a call from Kendall.  She was flabbergasted.  What will she do?  I calmly explained to her that a three mile walk should take her about 45 minutes, so she could leave now.  Alternatively, she could wake her dad up and see if he would take her.  When I got home, she was heading out the door on her bike.  She did wake Kevin up and he told her the same thing...only he added that a three mile bike ride might be quicker. 

Needless to say, this act of defiance and subsequent consequence turned out to be an awesome thing.  Kendall rode her bike to and from school the rest of the week.  She is now an avid bike rider and even talked my mom, Sid and I on a bike ride this weekend.  We enjoyed a beautiful weekend ride to Grandma Terrell's and back.  I think Sid may be a fan of bike riding now too.

I took this family selfie to represent how much we love our front porch swing.  This is often a gathering place to enjoy the morning (or evening) together. 

Grandma Terrell went yard sale-ing a couple weekends ago and picked up a cute cupcake decorating book for the girls.  They decided to decorate cupcakes and simulate a cupcake war challenge  Jackson and Blake joined in as their baking assistants.  The boys got so into it.  Jackson kept running to his house for supplies.  They received little to no help from my mom and I, only a little supervision and suggestion. 

Sidney and Blake made a crocodile cupcake display.

Kendall and Jackson made a batch of puppy dog cupcakes.

Such adorable little cuties (the kids and the cupcakes)!

Capitol Classic 2018.

The girls and I participated in the Capitol Classic again this year. 

 

I roped my mom into coming down to volunteer with me.  There were a lot of fun things going on this weekend, to include Sidney's drama performance.  It was great to have my mom her to join the festivities and start the summer off with us. 

The run starts with a celebration at the Boise Depot while the kids get dropped off and situated.

There were cheerleaders, bubbles, hula hoops and lots of loud music at the start line.  My mom was a running buddy for Sid's group, while I ran with Kendall's group.  There were not as many running buddies this year, so I roped Kendall into helping me keep our group organized.  She had fun helping.

Sidney claims she ran the whole way.  I have proof that there was a step or two of walking along the way. 

It was 70 degrees and gorgeous the morning of the run.  We could not have asked for better weather.

There is a fair at the finish line.  This year there was a booth set up with pogo sticks. 

My mom and I both gave it a try.  I had a pogo stick as a kid and loved it.  I was thankful that my mom escaped without the need for medical assistance. 

Here we are, after the race...still smiling!

That's a Wrap!

Phew!  The school year has ended.  As mentioned in my previous post, it was a busy May.  At the final awards ceremony, Sidney was honored with an academic award, as well as Citizen of the Month.  Mrs. Hahle decided to mess with her and make her jump for a high five.  Sidney played along.  The crowd got a big laugh out of it.  Sidney was blessed with my genes in the height department.

Sidney formed a pretty tight bond with her teacher this year, Mrs. Koval.  There were lots of tears shed on the last day of school.  Third grade has been a tricky year for both the girls.  Thankfully, they were both blessed with phenomenal teachers that supported them tremendously.

The 5th grade had an optional science fair this year.  Kendall took runner up!  Her friend Amelia took first place.  Mr. Barnett was quick to point out that the boys need to step up.  Smart girls rock!  In addition to the science fair, Kendall also received a Gold Presidential Academic Award.  It is a pretty big honor to receive that award. 

Where has the time gone?  We now have a child in middle school.  Yes, that is correct, Kendall will be entering middle school in the fall.  She is very excited to spread her wings and exercise her independence.  Me?  I am not so excited for that.

 

Mr. Barnett was Kendall's fifth grade teacher.  He was awesome.  Always upbeat, always challenging.  He instilled a great amount of independence in the students this year, which will help them tremendously as they head into next year.

 

We are incredibly proud of all the hard work these young ladies put into school! 

A Busy, Fun-Filled May.

May has been a very busy month, as with all families with kids.  Kendall decided to enter the 5th grade science fair.  She mentioned she wanted to write a blog about it, so I will not give you all the details.  She invited her sister to put a few last minute touches on her display board.

We bought a super frivolous machine a few months back.  We were inspired with the sign making class that we went to for Wish Granters.  We attempted to make a couple more signs as gifts on our own. The local craft store had a very limited selection of pre-printed vinyl sayings, and the vinyl was not very good quality.  I mentioned to Kevin that I have been secretly wanting a Silhouette machine since 2009.  I know the specific year, because it was the year that RedBuilt was formed.  The wife of my coworker had purchased one and made us all kinds of awesome monogrammed things.  Well, my equally crafty husband took little convincing. 

Below is a cute little gift the girls made for their teachers out of heat transfer vinyl.  This is one of many fun things we have been making.

 

Over Memorial Day weekend, Kendall joined David and the Nelson kids on a camp cleanup weekend in McCall.  She worked hard and had a great time.  She came home with more scrapes and bruises than I have ever seen, which must mean she played hard too!

I convinced Kevin to taking me golfing.  It was a beautiful day.  We got paired with an incredibly grumpy old man (no joking) and his very friendly wife (also not joking).  Three holes in, 'grumpy man' finally loosened up.  Kevin is a great golfer.  He has went out with me twice this year.  He plays until he gets tired, then he drives me around and encourages me.  I love it!

There are probably a million things wrong with this swing.  However, my head is down.  Yes!  That is a big step for me as I am a looky-loo.

Sid and Jackson took us bowling.  Sid skunked us the first game. 

I love this picture.  Sid claims that Jackson 'photo bombed' her. 

The girls have gotten so much stronger through gymnastics.  Sidney has been showing me that she can do pull-ups with four different grips.  The picture below is her demonstrating this on the tree in our backyard.  She is not doing an arm hang.  This was an actual pull-up.

Kendall could not be outdone by her litter sister.  Here she is showing off her upper body strength!